Time For a Long Overdue Update

Well, it has been a while since I posted here. Good news is, I haven't been gaining weight like I've done during my past long hiatuses. I have continued to lose weight following the Trim Healthy Mama plan and getting regular exercise. Gonna have to update my sidebar. I have now lost...

Technically over 70 pounds. I am not sure of my exact weight loss as of today, because I am participating in No Scale November. However, at my last weigh in I was

190.9 pounds.

At the end of October, exactly 10 months after starting Trim Healthy Mama, I had lost 73 pounds!

I can't wait to see what I weigh at the beginning of December!

Here is my latest before and after picture. The before picture is from around Christmas 2015, right before I started THM. The after picture is from this past Tuesday.

I do have every intention of posting here regularly again though, so I won't have to wait til then to post. Hoping to start sharing my meals again, and some recipes I have come up with.

Today's Meals: May 15, 2016

Meals for May 15, 2016

S Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs (because I had them in the fridge and didn't have time for anything else), a small slice of ham and 1/2 container 000 vanilla mixed with mixed berries.

E Lunch: 2 slices Ezekiel bread with 1 wedge Aldi's version of Laughing Cow cheese, turkey slices, mustard, spring mix. cucumber sticks, green pepper, mushrooms with 1 wedge laughing cow cheese, 1/2 serving baked Tostitos, 1/2 cup grapes

S Dinner: Grilled cheese made with 1/2 piece of the Joseph's Lavash bread, cheese and pepperoni. Just Like Campbell's Tomato soup (From the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook). 4 strawberries.

Fuel Pull Dessert: Caramel Gluccie Pudding (From the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook)

Weekly Weight In: May 13, 2016

Well, we came to the end of the 100 day challenge in the one Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group I am in. I shared a couple of before and after collages in the group and thought I would share them here too.

While I did find these comparisons impressive, I had already lost 20 some pounds when this challenge started. Here are the side by side pics of my total weight loss thus far (yes, I did share the pictures last week, but I think they are more impressive when seen side-by-side).

I really am excited by the results. The Trim Healthy Mama plan really does work and it makes such sense. If you have never heard of it before, it is quite simple. I will say, it really is imperative that you have the book and understand the plan and the reasoning behind it. The low down is, you need to separate your "fuels." Our bodies need to use the fuel we give it, and when we eat both carbs and fats together it doesn't get to use it all and it gets stored as fat. When we eat every 3 hours, making sure to eat healthy meals that focus on either fats or carbs, our bodies have the chance to use all the fuel and then they have to use the fat that is stored. At least this is my understanding. The sisters who wrote the books explain it so much better. 

I had mentioned back in January that I would be sharing my meals, and I just haven't been getting around to it. I decided I need to start doing that. And it will start with a yummy new recipe the girls and I just created this evening. I will also share my meals each day, mentioning what kind of meal they are and what is included, though I won't be including the recipes in those posts. I will have separate posts for any recipes I come up with, and I will share links to any recipes I use that I have found on the internet. If the recipe comes from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, I will share the page number where it can be found. 

Anyhow, I hope these posts will be of some help. 

Seeing as this is a Weekly Weigh In post, I guess I should share my weight loss info too.

I started out at my heaviest weight ever: 263.9

Last week I weighed: 220.7

Current weight: 217.8

Weight loss from last week: 2.9

Total weight loss: 46.1

Weekly Weigh In- May 7th 2016

Okay, so I know the title of the post is "Weekly Weigh In" even though I have not been posting weekly. I apologize for that. The good news is, I have not been gaining weight during this absence. I have stayed faithfully on the Trim Healthy Mama plan and have lost a decent amount of weight. I am LOVING this plan. It makes so much sense and I am not deprived at all. I am eating healthily and feeling so much better. 

So, are you ready to see the progress thus far? 

I started out at my heaviest weight ever:

When I look back now, I can't believe I had let myself get that heavy. 

Here I am now.

So, anyway, I am down 43.2 pounds since December 28th, 2015. I still have a ways to go, but I am so happy with my progress so far. 

Weekly Weigh-In January 13th, 2016

I found this Wednesday Weekly Weigh-In Linky over at From the Desk of Adena F last week. 

I have been fully on the Trim Healthy Mama plan for a couple of weeks now, and I am quite encouraged by the results. I have been eating 100% on plan. I finally found some Lavash bread, which is on plan and tried adding that into my meals a couple of times. Unfortunately, I think that is what caused me to feel bad on Sunday night. I was gassy and my stomach was hurting. I decided to stop eating it and go back to eating almost exactly what I ate the first week. I plan to add the Lavash bread in again in a couple of weeks to see if I have the same reaction. I'm sort of hoping not, because the wraps I made for lunch were delicious. 

I have exercised all but one day this week. I was going to exercise in the evening on Sunday, but as mentioned above, I wasn't feeling well, so I passed. We have been to the Y a few more times since last week. We went on Saturday, Monday, and again tonight. I have been using the treadmill for 20 minutes plus 5 minutes cool down, the recumbent bike for 10 minutes plus 5 minutes cool down, the hand bike for 5 minutes the first time, and 10 minutes this past time. I have also started some weight training, but don't ask me what all the exercises on those machines are.

The Winter Whiteout at the Y starts next week, so I will be able to share about that next week.

I know I promised pictures of my meals, but at this point I am a bit tired and want to get to bed and I don't really want to grab the pictures from my phone. I will try taking pictures with the camera this week, if I can find the batteries. 

Here is my beginning weigh in:

And my weight from last week:

And here is this week's weight:

Down 2.2 pounds from last week

Total weight loss from December 28th: 7.3 pounds

Weekly Weigh-In January 6th, 2016

I found this Wednesday Weekly Weigh-In Linky over at From the Desk of Adena F. This fits in well with my other challenge in my one Trim Healthy Mama Challenge Facebook group, so I will be sharing my updates on Wednesday. 

I have been fully on the Trim Healthy Mama plan for about a week now, and I was thrilled when I stepped on my Wii Balance Board and discovered I had lost 5.1 pounds. That is 5.1 pounds in just one week! I couldn't believe it. I am not expecting that rate to continue, but it sure has given me another boost of motivation. 

Along with eating on plan, I have been exercising almost every day. In the morning I exercise on the WiiFitU using one of my routines, and at night I use the Free Step on the WiiFitU to step while we watch our show. The hubby has also gotten us a membership at the YMCA, so we went there to exercise this past Monday. I have to say, that was way out of my comfort zone, but I did end up enjoying it. I spent 25 minutes on the recumbent bike and 15 on the treadmill. Neither of which I had used before. I have also signed up for their Winter Whiteout Wellness and Weight Loss Challenge. It runs from January 18 through March 13 and I am looking forward to the extra motivation and help.

I will share pictures of some of my favorite meals next week. I am hoping to add a bit of variety into the dishes I prepare, as I have been eating a lot of eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, and a lot of salad for lunch and dinner. 

Here's a little looksie. 

I made this yummy meal tonight for dinner. Cheeseburger with sauteed mushrooms on a bed of lettuce and spinach leaves with green beans on the side. Doesn't it look tasty.

Here is my beginning weigh in:

And my weight from Monday:

Down 5.1 pounds!

Blogging Through the Alphabet: F is for Frustrated

I am just so frustrated with myself. I can't seem to stick to any plan to get healthy. I start each week with high hopes and big plans only to sabotage them myself within the first day or two. The Biggest Loser Challenge with our Weight Loss Accountability Group has come to the end of round 1, but I haven't lost near as much as I had hoped for. 

Beginning weight Feb 1st: 262.6

March 2nd weight: 258.2

March 29th weight: 247.8

Final weight for BLC Round 1 April 27th: 246.3

I lost a total of 16.3 pounds. While I am happy that my weight is decreasing, I was really hoping for quite a bit more than this. The week that I had actually juiced every day, I lost 7 pounds. Granted that is a little too big when it comes to healthy weight loss, but I would love to see some bigger numbers.

I know it is not going to fall off itself. I have to get up early enough to exercise. I need to stop making excuses when it comes to not making my salads for lunch and my juice for dinner. 

I would have much rather have posted about how I was "fight[ing] the fat" as the boxing trainer tells me on WiiFit Plus. So, here is to another round of Biggest Loser Challenge Weight Loss Accountability Group version. Hoping for a good week with exercising, eating and weighing in.

Weekly Weigh In- June Tune Up/Weight Loss Wednesdays

       

I did it, I did it!!

Not sure how, but I lost 3.5 pounds this past week. Well, I guess I have some ideas, but I didn't do anything drastic (I can't seeing as I am nursing). My biggest hope was that I stop gaining weight by making my small changes I outlined last week in my goals. I know I can't keep up this pace with these small changes, but this felt good and helped a great deal psychologically.  

I haven't done a good job getting my meals written down, but I have been more conscious of what I have been eating. I have started measuring out my food as best I can. The only problem is, it really does take longer to make a meal this way, especially taking into account that I am making meals for the 3 girls and a hubby while trying to get it all done before the baby starts crying again.  

 Here are my goals for June. Let's see how I did.

Green = success

Red= Failure

1. No snacking after dinner. (Only exception is Saturday for movie and popcorn night.)
2. Get to bed by 11:00 or soon thereafter depending on baby.
3. Get moving somehow everyday.
4. Dessert at lunch is fruit. Most of the time
5. Dessert at dinner is a healthy snack. Like today we had graham crackers and fat free cool whip. 
6. I will allow myself a unhealthy dessert once or twice a week (if I am making something with the girls.) We had ice cream the other night but there was such a small amount we also had a graham cracker and cool whip.
7. I will write down everything I eat. I am not going to attempt to sit down and figure out my calories at this point. But I will keep a record of what I eat.

Let's see, what else did I do. I also added my one morning cup of green tea and started drinking my 2 cups of water before a meal. Okay, okay, I know I should have already been drinking sufficient water because of breastfeeding, but I keep forgetting. Making myself have the 2 cups before a meal helps me to insure I get it in, plus it helps curb the snacking while eating. I have done some snacking between meals (so glad I didn't make a goal not to), but usually it was only if I was hungry. I couldn't believe how hungry I was getting without all the snacking. 

This week, over at Weight Loss Wednesdays the topic is Summer. I am not sure how I am going to do this summer. Two summers ago is when I was gaining weight after having Hannah. Then I lost weight between Dec of that year and May of 2011. Last summer I was pregnant. It's going to be fun seeing how the summer will go. We will get outside to the park and for walks (as long as it decides to stop raining...today is hopeful), but I am not sure what else I will do yet. 

So, my starting weight for this summer of weight loss is 242.1

Down to 238.5

Weight loss- 3.6 pounds!!

I am now 22.4 pounds lighter than my highest weight in Dec of 2010.

Now I just need to get my measurements.

Weigh In #10: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: Bye Bye Booties! and Slimmer This Summer Check In

It appears that being able to take walks during VBS has helped my weight.  I didn't have a huge loss.  In fact, not much of a loss at all.  But I didn't gain, and that is perfect for me right now.  Especially having to eat the pretzel (and sometimes more) at bedtime.  Before I go any further I thought I would clarify one point.  I have mentioned it in the past, but I have noticed by people's comments that not everyone is aware I am pregnant.  I know, perfect timing, in the middle of  a weight loss challenge.  Even if I lose a little, I know I will not be losing the amount needed for the challenge.  I have come to terms with that.  What I haven't come to terms with is my body's cravings for unhealthy foods and my being unable to down my salads the way I was doing before I got pregnant.  You would think that a pregnant body would be craving the healthy things.  Just doesn't seem fair.  I have to eat before I get out of bed in the morning.  Each pregnancy has been different for me.  Last pregnancy I was eating Crispix.  This time it is Life or Cinnamon Life cereal.  I have to have eggs for breakfast, either scrambled or an egg sandwich.  I've tried doing the 1 egg, 1 egg white, but seem to need both whole eggs.  I usually have some sort of cheese with this and try to get in some spinach or broccoli if I remember, which hasn't been that often lately. Hoping posting this will help me remember to add the veggie.  I have a cup of apple or orange juice with my prenatal vitamins and iron.  Mid-morning I need to have a snack.  I usually grab some sort of granola bar or cereal bar.  Lunch varies, but I miss my big salads, as I have already mentioned. We have pb&j, chicken patties, tuna, chicken nuggets, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, or bologna and cheese. Those are what we alternate through usually.  I try to get some sort of veggie, but most of the time I am making a canned veggie for the children, and as I don't like them very much I try to eat a small salad, but can't even down that.  I have been fortunate to have been able to get some tomatoes out of our garden, though they are tiny due to the lack of rain and intense heat last month.  Sometimes I eat fruit, sometimes not.  I definitely find myself eating too much junk.  I AM trying.  At least hubby limited me to one pretzel  at bedtime this week (I'm talking about the soft frozen pretzels that you have to warm up in the oven. We add a very small amount of salt and 2 thin, thin slices of deli Muenster cheese). That may have helped.  As did the hour long walks while the children were in VBS, I'm sure.  

As I said, a small loss.

The great thing is, I still weigh less than I did at the start of my previous pregnancy!

Previous Monday Weight: 222.2

Today's Weight: 222

Weight change from last week: - .2

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 39.9

Weigh In #8: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: Bye Bye Booties! and Slimmer This Summer Check In

I know, I chickened out and didn't post last week.  I had gained more weight (another pound).  It had been so hot, I had had no energy the week before.  I actually hadn't been spending a lot of time online anyway, because I was getting headaches and the computer was making them worse.  We also hadn't been taking our walks.  My snacking has not gotten any better either.So, here is last week's weight.  

This morning I was thrilled and a little shocked to see that I had lost that pound and was back where I was two weeks ago.  We have taken a few more walks with the children this week (still hot, but not near as bad). And last night we took a night time walk. When we got home I checked the time and saw we had walked for an hour!  

I have also been eating salads again.  Our little store has a very limited selection.  For a while we have only been able to choose Dole's Greener Selection or the Iceberg Lettuce.  I just don't really like these.  They finally got some Classic Romaine in, and I had a couple of really nice salads this week.  

I have to say I was surprised because we had eaten out at Burger King yesterday and had ice cream for dessert.  Hubby's parents were down helping my son move to his new apartment.  We needed something for dinner besides the few leftovers we have.

So I am happy to be back at

Previous Monday Weight: 220.4

Today's Weight: 219.4

Weight change from last week: -1

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 42.5

Weigh In #5: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: Bye Bye Booties! and Slimmer This Summer Check In

Now that I am pregnant I am obviously not going to be losing 2 or 3 pounds a week.  I am trying to eat the best I can.  At times that is hard because that healthy whole wheat can turn my stomach because it is too dry. So I have an easier job eating food that I know is not that good for me.  Fortunately I haven't had any trouble eating my salads yet, so I do try to get at least one a day.  In fact, the other day we got to try our version of the Wendy's Berry Almond Chicken Salad.  I had seen Debbi post about it a few weeks ago in a post called Salad Power.  Last week I got to try Wendy's version and I really liked it.  I saw that Debbi's recipe calls for raspberries which I didn't have in my Wendy's salad (not sure if I was supposed to or not).  So we had blueberries, strawberries, honey roasted almond slices, some sort of baby lettuce mix (2 cups) and raspberry walnut vinegarette, not sure the brand, but they didn't have the Ken's brand, though they have lots of other Ken's Steakhouse dressings. We added chicken as well.  My son really enjoyed it.  I would like to see if I can find the Ken's dressing as this one tasted a little too vinegary.
We have taken at least one walk a day I think.  I have not done a good job recording anything this week.  I haven't always gotten more than one walk though. And sometimes it is only a slow walk with the children because it is just myself with the girls and one of them needs to walk.  We had 3 late nights last week (soccer game and fireworks were two of them) and I just had no energy for extra walks.  I have not had a lot of energy at all.  Naps in the afternoon.  Only one walk at times.  And it doesn't help that I need to snack before going to bed.
With all that I still lost .4 pounds.

Previous Monday Weight: 217.4

Today's Weight: 217

Weight loss from last week: -.4

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 44.9

Also linking to






Over at A Hippo With a Headband

Weigh In #4: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: Bye Bye Booties!

We are a tad bit in a rush today to go to see the fireworks, but I wanted to get my post in because we won't be back until really late.  So, I am just posting my weight with no exercise or explanation or anything.  Will post my Slimmer This Summer post later tonight or tomorrow morning.

I have lost weight since last Monday, though, like last Monday, I am the same as last Wednesday.  What is up with that??

Previous Monday Weight: 217.4

Weight on Wednesday: 218

Today's Weight: 217.4

Weight loss from last week: 0

Weight change from Wednesday: -.6

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 44.5

Weigh In #3: Plus Size Bloggers Tracking Challenge: Bye Bye Booties! and Slimmer This Summer Check In

This was definitely a better week.  I have been recording what I eat over at Spark People.  I was really surprised how fast the calories were adding up. I was doing better at the beginning of the week.  (Better eating healthy and better remembering to record.) Last night I messed up, but I didn't realize how many calories and grams of fat were in some of the foods and I misread the package and ate too much of the chocolate rabbit.  I insisted in trying to walk it off though, so we walked about 3 1/2 miles last night.  

Here is this week's activity log.  We actually did walk on the 24th, but we didn't get home until after the date changed on the Wii, so it went on the next day's log.  And we haven't walked today yet.  In fact, we will be heading out as soon as I have finished posting.  The 23rd we walked from the library, so only a 10-15 minute walk, but Tabitha was walking too so it was a slow walk.

Here is the last two weeks'. Definitely got more recorded this week.

I have lost weight since last Monday, though, like last Monday, I am the same as last Wednesday.  What is up with that??

Previous Monday Weight: 220.2

Weight on Wednesday: 217.4

Today's Weight: 217.4

Weight loss from last week: -2.8

Weight change from Wednesday: 0

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 44.5

Also linking to




Over at A Hippo With a Headband